Furnace.



C. W. THOMAS.

FURNACE. APPLICATION FILED APR.4,'1908 RENEWED SEPT.3.1910.

Patented Apr. 11, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

R k M ow .llil

G. W. THOMAS.

' FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.4, 190s. RENEWED SEPT. s. 1910.

989,443. Patented Apr. 11, 1911.

3 SHBETS-SHEBT 2.

O. W. THOMAS.

FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED APRA, 190s. RENEWED SEPT. a, 1910.

Patented Apr. 11, 1911.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

all who'in'it may concern:

CHARLES W. THOMAS, OF LINDENWOLD, NEW JERSEY.

summon.

' Be it known that I, CHARLES W. THoMAs, a citizen of the United States residing in Lindenwold, Camden county, lNeW Jersey, have invented certain Improvements in Furpaces, of which the following is a specifica- One object of my invention is to construct a furnace in which high temperature may be maintained; and a further object is to so design the furnace that a rotating hearth can be used, and in which the heat is evenly. distributed and the products of combustion consumed.

My ,improved furnace can be used for heating, baking, roasting, burning or firing a large number of different materials for sundry urposes, (this versatility is largely due to t e fact that this furnace will with- 1 stand the highest practical temperatures as well as the lower, and is easily and quickly controlled), and is especially adapted for use in the manufacture of tiles, slabs and other objects of artificial stone, especially of a vitreous nature, where the material is introduced into the furnace in either a dry or a moist state and sub'ected, while in the furnace, to an intense eat for a certain length of time to produce a given result.

My invention has been used successfully for firing silicious compounds to a more or less vitreous condition, used for food and grit for poultry. Successful experiments have been made in this furnace for continuous lime burning, and it can be used for burning cement and cement compounds roasting various ores, pot glass making, an for general laborato. use.

In the accompanymg drawings :-Figure 1-, isavertical sectional view of my improved furnace; Fig. 2, is a sectional plan view on the line 22, Fig. 1; Fig. 3, 1s a sectional plan view on the line 3-3, Flg. 1; Fig. 4, is a diagram plan view illustrating the gas flame and ot er combustion currents; Fig. 5, is a side view showing one of the burners Fig. 6* is a vertical sectional view on the line Fig. 5; and Fi 7, is a vertical sectional view of a mod cation.

A is the outer annular wall.

Bis a frame consisting of metalshapes in the present instance and hung from the cross member B of t 's frame by means of rods 0 is a metallic? ring 0 having a flange 0'.

Dis the annular roof having its outer edge supported on the wall A and its inner Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 4, 1908, Serial No. 425,111.

- ported near, its

Patented Apr. Jill, 1911f. Renewed September 3, 1910. Serial No. 580,297.

edge carried by the ring C. Mounted on a suitable foundation A .is a step bearing a for a vertical shaft E, on which is mounted a hub E having arms e carrying an annular platform F extending under the arched roof D. The hearth I is built upon this platform F and consists of blocks a, slabs z" and a wall i of fire brick. The wall 2' is.comparatively close to the ring C and extends to a point near the roof D, leaving a clear space directly under the roof as shown.

While I prefer to build the hearth in the manner illustrated in Fig. 1, the form of the hearth may be modified to meet certain conditions. 'The present design is intended to receive flat slabs of granular material which must be heated to a certain degree before being pressed into final shape. 7

The fuel used in the present instance is oil, and is introduced through a series of burners G, each havin a nozzle 9 and a valve The nozzle 0 .the burner extends into t e mouth it of the air intake flue H and this mouth is formed at an angle soburners and four fines, but it will be understood that any number of burners and any.

number of flues inay be .used, depending upon the type and size of the furnace, without departing from the essential features of I the invention, and the outlet flues may be situated midway between the burners or at any point to produce a given result.

The hearth, in. the present instance, is r0 tated by applying power to the vertical shaft E, and the shaft is driven at such a speed that the hearth will rotate slowly so that one revolution in many cases will, be suflicient to heat material carried by the hearth to the pro er degree. In some instances, however, tlie'hearth may be mounted simply on a step bearing as shown in Fig. 7, and on the underside of the hearth there may be a rack with which. engages a driven pinion f w ich will impart motion to the hearth; the hearth being supperiphery by a series of rollers f v The outlet flues M communicate with the annular flue M, Fig. 3, which in turn communicates with the'stack'flue M and the theT'amount of air and oil can be regulated i to" give the proper degree of heat to regulate'the combustion and to control the draft 1 10 of air into the furnace at the other openings.

In order to supply air to the center of the furnace beyond the annular walls 2' of the hearth, I provide an annular air inlet passage P communicating with intake openings p by means of one or more flues p so that there is a current of air passing through the center of the furnace and through the space formed by the annular ring C.

I have found by a series of experiments that the flame, when the furnace is in action, travels in a circular path over the hearth and that there are practically two currentsone traveling close to the inner wall 2' of the hearth, as indicated in diagram, Fig. 4, and

the other traveling in the same direction and beyond the first current.

' The heavy products of combustion containing unconsumed carbon are driven against the wall of the hearth by the blast of the incoming fuel andair from the burners, consequently they rotate in the furnace until the carbon is consumed, and then the incombustible gases escape through the flues.

There is a certain amount of air drawn through the space between the vertical walls 71 of the hearth and the roof D, and this air mixes with the products of combustion in the furnace and aids in the proper combustion of the mixture. The waste productseventually pass out of the flue openings m into the flues M to the stack, but the gases escaping are comparatively light, showing that the carbon is practically consumed.

a is an opening on a line with the hearth through Wl'llCh material may be placed upon or removed from the hearth, this opening is provided with a suitable door or cover a Fig. 2.

I find in operatin a furnace under the plan described that t e ring supporting the inner portion of the roof will be protected by the in-flow of air through the space between the roof and the inner wall of the ed as a high temperature furnace,qas the construction involves means to bring the temperature of the furnace to a high degree and by having the furnace arranged so that g the combustion chamber is practically Within the furnace and directly above the hearth and by providing a number of burncrs discharging the fuel into the furnace, I

' can obtain a very steady heat ata very high temperature.

I have illustrated my invention as utilizing oil as a fuel, but it will be understood that pulverized coal or other fuel may be used without departing from the essential features of the invention. I

My experiments have shown that in this improved furnace I can obtain an even heat throughout the entire furnace, or I can cut out certain burners and regulate the intake and outtake flues so that the heat of the furnace .will be more constant at one part than at another.

I claim 1. The combination in a furnace, of an annular wall, an overhangingroof open at I the center, with a rotating hearth mounted under the roof within the wall, the-inner portion of the hearth extending to' a point near the roof but not touching the same so as to leave an annular passage for the ingress of air from the central opening in the roof into the combustion chamber, and means for supplying fuel to the combustion chamber.

2. The combination in a furnace, of an annular wall, an overhanging roof supported at its outer edge by the wall, and a ring supporting the inner edge of the roof, with a rotating hearth mounted under the roof and terminating some distance back of the ring and leaving a clear space for the ingress of air, thus preventing the burning away of the supportin ring.

3. The combination in a furnace, of an annular wall, an overhanging roof supported at its outer edge by the wall, means for supporting the inner portion of the roof, a rotating hearth mounted in the space inclosed by the wall, a series of burners projecting into the "combustion chamber formed by the hearth, wall and roof, said burners being arranged so as to project the flame at a tangent to the hearth so as to cause the fuel and ases to travel in a circular path within the urnace, and air inlets and outlets for the products of combustion.

4. The combination in a furnace, of an annular wall, an overhanging roof, the outer edge of the roof being supported by the wall, a ring supporting the inner edge of the roof, a rotating hearth, a pivot therefor, and means for rotating the hearth, said hearth having an annular wall extending to apoint mounted under the roof, means for rotating the hearth, a series of outlet flues within the wall for the waste products of combustion, and a series of air inlet passages in the wall, said inlet passages and outlet flues being arranged in pairs, the air inlet passages communicating with the upper portion of the combustion chamber and the outlet flues communicating with the lower portion of the combustion chamber, and burners at said inlet passages.

G. The combination in a furnace, of an annular wall, an overhanging roof supported at its outer edge by said wall, a suspended ring supporting the inner edge of the roof, aliearth mounted under the roof and having a wall extending to a point near the roof, a series of burners projecting from the said wall, and air inlets and outlets for the products of combustion also in the wall.

7. The combination in a furnace, of an annular .wall and an overhanging roof supported at its periphery by the wall, and a suspended ring supporting the inner edge of the roof, a rotating hearth mounted under the roof and having a vertical Wall extending to a point close to the roof, so as to forman annular air intake passage, with means for supplying fuel and air to the combustion chamber, and means for regulating the amount of fuel and air admitted to the combustion chamber, whereby the admission of air to the combustion chamber through the space between the vertical wall of the hearth and the roof will be regulated.

8 The combination in a furnace having an annular wall, an overhanging roof arched in'eross section, the outer edge of the roof being supported by the wall, a ring supporting the inner edge of the roof, a central step bearing, a shaft mounted in said beariug,-arms extending from said shaft, a hearth supported by said arms, said hearth being under the overhanging roof and having'an annular Wall, the said wall extending to a point near the roof and forming an annular combustion chamber, a' series of burners arranged at an angle so as to direct the flame tangent in respect to theinner wall of the combustion chamber, and exhaust passages for the escape of the waste products of combustion.

-9. The combination in a furnace having an annular Wall, an overhanging roof arched in cross section, the outer edge of the roof with being supported by the wall, means for supportnig the inner edge of the roof, said roof having a central opening therein, a rotating hearth mounted under the roof and having I a vertical inner wall extending to a point near the roof but not touching the same so as to provide a free passage for the ingress of air to the combustion chamber, a series of air inlet passages and a series of exhaustflues, said inlet passages and exhaust flucs being arranged in pairs and close together, the air inlet passages entering the combust-ion chamber n ar thereof and the exhaust flues communicating with the combustion chamber near the hearth, with a series of burners projecting into the furnace at the air fines and arranged at an angle so as to direct the flame at a tangent with respect to the inner wall of the combustion chamber, thus maintaining a rotary action of the fuel and gases.

10. The combination in a furnace, of an annular wall, an overhanging roof, a rotating hearth having a wall extending to a point nearthe roof, means for supplying fuel to the combustion chamber thus formed, the center of the furnace being open so that air can be drawn into the combustion chamber through the space between the Wall of the hearth and the roof.'

11. The combination in a furnace, of an annular wall, an overhanging roof, a 'rotating hearth mounted under the roof within the wall, said hearth having a vertical wall extending to a point near the roof, the said wall of the hearth and the annular wall of the furnace forming the side walls of the combustion chamber, means for supplying fuel and air to the combustion chamber near the ,roof, and outlet flues communicating the combustion chamber near the hearth, and burners arranged so as to project a flame against thewall of the hearth.

12. The combination in a furnace, of an annular well, an overhanging roof supported at its outer edge by the wall, means for supporting the inner edge of the roof, a rotating hearth mounted under the roof, an annular fiue communicating with a stack, fines in the annular wall of the furnace forming communication between the combustion chamber and the annular flue, and means for supplying products of combustion to the combustion chamber.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES W. THOMAS.

WVitnesses WM. E. SHUPE, WM. A. BARR. 

